The age at which a puppy should be weaned depends mostly on its breed. As a result, the duration of breastfeeding is random depending on the breed of the puppy. To begin weaning, different foods must be offered apart from breast milk.
It is usually during the puppy's third or fourth week that weaning can begin. This period can be recognized by the reluctance of the mother to let her baby suckle. In addition, the puppy's milk teeth begin to appear during the fifth week.
Weaning should take place in several stages, gradually introducing a varied diet from the third to the seventh week.
In small puppies, weaning goes more easily, because the litters are not numerous. So the mother can easily meet the needs of her puppies even in the event of maximum need.
On the other hand, in large dogs, the needs of the puppies can very quickly exceed the lactation capacity of their mother. This is why the weaning of large breed puppies can start when the evolution of the puppy's weight begins to slow down. It is therefore necessary to follow the weight curve regularly.
